2012 Year in Review: Best Female Movie Performances

Jennifer Lawrence, The Silver Linings Playbook and The Hunger Games

It takes some actors years to find that one career-defining role. But Jennifer Lawrence found two of them in one year. The first came in the form of The Hunger Games: As Katniss Everdeen, the strong-willed archer forced into life-or-death arena play, Lawrence proved she can anchor a franchise. As a recent widow/struggling sex addict in awards-contender The Silver Linings Playbook, it’s all but certain Lawrence will earn her second Oscar nomination.